AMBER Alert, attentive UPS driver draw praise

SoVaNow.com / November 19, 2012

Halifax County Sheriff Fred Clark credited the combined efforts of law enforcement officers in Virginia and Maryland, members of the public and the Virginia AMBER Alert program with bringing about the successful rescue of the abducted Campbell County infant.

Police expressed relief and gratitude that Alexis Rose Carwile was found unharmed in a Maryland suburb of the Washington, D.C. area early Friday morning after the toddler was allegedly abducted by her parents, who were denied custody of the child earlier in the week (see above article).

“I particularly want to commend the UPS driver for being alert to the VDOT highway message boards and making such an effort to look for the suspect vehicle,” Clark said, referring to a pivotal break in the case, a vehicle sighting on I-85 that led police to the child’s father, Eric Rose of Halifax County.

“The Virginia AMBER Alert program played a critical role in helping us find this endangered little girl. The program’s rapid dissemination of information to the public statewide combined with someone acting upon that information is what successfully resolved this situation.”

The AMBER Alert activated the Emergency Broadcast system and transmitted digital messages on highway signs providing information about vehicles thought to be involved in the baby’s disappearance. An unnamed UPS driver took notice of the alerts and called in a vehicle that turned out to be driven by Black.

Deputy Emergency Services Coordinator Chad Loftis added, “We also thank the Prince Georges County, Maryland police and the Washington D.C. Metro Police, as well as the Virginia State Police for their valuable assistance.”

Loftis was quick to explain on Friday morning that only cases involving criminal activity can be posted on Amber Alert. He said that missing children or those who may have wandered off cannot be listed on the system. “There has to be some criminal intent for the case to be placed on this special system,” Loftis said.